News for
February 25, 2026

 

By Myrna Trauntvein
TN Correspondent

More than two dozen Nephi homeowners have filed a lawsuit against local real estate and construction companies after they say they found serious structural issues in their newly constructed homes at Winn Ridge Subdivision.

According to the lawsuit, over the last few years, 22 families purchased homes in the Winn Ridge Community in Nephi. The homes they purchased were all new construction, built between November 2022 and December 2023.

Recently the homeowners in the subdivision filed a lawsuit against the construction company that built the homes, the real estate company, agents who helped sell them the homes, and the geotechnical engineering company that surveyed the land the homes were built on.

It is noted that a lawsuit only portrays one side of a story and, since the defendants have not yet responded, the story reflects the disappointment of the plaintiffs.

Channel 4 News sent McKenzie Diaz to interview the plaintiffs on site in Nephi where the channel’s photographers also filmed cracks and other problems with the construction.

“We moved here with the intent to find our forever home with our girls and raise them, but now we’re in a position where we’re not sure what our future holds for us,” says Dallas Doane, one of the homeowners. “We would expect that the house is stable and secure and not cracking.”

Doane and other homeowners say that they are experiencing severe structural issues within the homes, including cracks in the foundation. Their lawsuit alleges that the defendants knew that soil conditions could cause structural issues but did not take the proper measures to prevent it.

“We hear popping noises like a wooden baseball bat hitting a baseball really hard,” Doane added. “It appears to be pulling away from itself on both sides. [In] our family room, you can see lots of cracks and crevices in our ceilings and significant shifting in the basement.”

The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants failed to make homeowners aware of the potential issues or soil conditions before they purchased the homes. Additionally, the homes cost an average of $550,000, and the homeowners invested thousands of dollars in order to purchase their homes, according to the lawsuit.

According to lawsuit documents, Salisbury Home Real Estate and Riding Siding construction purchased the land located in Nephi with the intention to build homes on that land and to sell the homes for a profit. This area of land is known as the Winn Ridge Community/Subdivision.

Prior to constructing the homes, Salisbury Homes hired GeoStrata, a geotechnical contractor, to perform an investigation into the soil conditions within the community.

GeoStrata reportedly provided a detailed Geotechnical Report to Salisbury Homes in June 2022. The report stated that the soil in the Winn Ridge Community has “a moderate to high collapse potential”.

The report recommended that home footings be placed on a “minimum of 3-feet of structural fill”, with certain restrictions for structural lifts and requirements for foundation drains. It also required a GeoStrata representative be on-site during all excavations in order to assess the foundation soils and stated that homes should only be built if all recommendations were followed.

Despite the report’s requirement that a representative observe the excavations, the lawsuit alleges that GeoStrata observed each lot only after the excavation and placement of the structural fills had been completed.

GeoStrata also reportedly failed to test the soil at an appropriate depth and noted that there were pinholes or small gaps underneath the topsoil, which could lead the soil (and homes) to collapse and sink when exposed to moisture.

Despite these alleged issues, GeoStrata’s ultimate Observation Reports stated that “the site is suitable for the construction of the foundation,” according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs also argue that Salisbury Homes and Riding Siding failed to follow the recommendations in the Geotechnical Report but proceeded with construction.

The first home in the Winn Ridge community was constructed in November 2022, and the newest home was completed by December 2023. According to the lawsuit, the homes in the area quickly started showing signs of settlement and damage.

The concrete steps in one of the plaintiffs’ homes reportedly separated from the porch before the plaintiffs closed on the home, according to the lawsuit. Other plaintiffs allegedly experienced damage within the first few weeks of moving in, including a sink hole in their front yard.

Other plaintiffs reported that their windows and doors became misaligned, preventing them from accessing parts of their homes and creating hazards. Additionally, cracks appeared in the drywall and in the foundation corners, and floors sloped in the homes.

The homes also reportedly have dangerous levels of radon, which is caused by the shifting soil.

The lawsuit alleges that the homeowners brought these concerns up to Salisbury Homes and Riding Sliding Construction, and that the companies made “half-hearted attempts” to make “temporary” repairs. Furthermore, the companies reportedly continued to sell homes in the Winn Ridge Community after being made aware of issues.

It also alleges that the defendants did not disclose that they hadn’t followed the recommendations of the Geotechnical Report and “continued to act as if everything was fine.”

In September 2025, the homeowners hired a structural engineer. The structural engineer determined that every home in Winn Ridge Community needed full pier supports, at minimum. Some of the homes reportedly settled so badly that they were beyond saving.

According to the lawsuit, “the extent of damage at [one] home is among the worst that this engineer has seen in his career,” and the structural engineer stated that the home is “a strong candidate for razing.”

Ryan Meyring, one of the homeowners involved in the lawsuit, recalled what the engineer told his family about their home, saying, “Engineer was here, giving his review. He said it’s like the soil is popcorn and is like you took your hand on a bucket of popcorn and pushed on it, it would just crush underneath.”

Following the engineer’s investigation, homeowners acquired the Observation Reports, Geotechnical Reports, and filed the lawsuit after realizing, “the extent of Defendants’ breaches, negligence, and fraud.”

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argue that the defendants all helped obscure damage that may have deterred them from purchasing the home.

They argued that the homeowners had ample reason to believe that Salisbury Homes Real Estate, a well-established company, would do their due diligence. They also reportedly had no reason to doubt the companies when they said everything was fine, due to the companies’ experience.

Additionally, the plaintiffs argue that GeoStrata failed to properly oversee construction activities, failed to highlight considerable issues, and issued recommendations in support of further construction which were inconsistent with their observations.

The homeowners stated that they would not have purchased the homes if they were aware of the damage but instead invested “their life savings” into what was meant to be safe, family homes for them and their children.

Furthermore, the homeowners say they have sustained and continue to sustain significant distress and fear related to the progressing damage of their homes.

With the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are asking for financial restitution for the loss of their homes, court costs, and additional damages, stating that it is believed to have caused millions of dollars in emotional and physical loss.

The plaintiffs are also asking the court to impose penalties against all Defendants for their conduct. And in the meantime, the families want stability.

Doane said, “We want the builder to communicate with us and understand the impact it’s had on our homes and us emotionally and our future and then work with us to fix our homes and the other damages.”

According to Doane, his family is “emotional and overwhelmed…It’s hard to see light at the end of that tunnel. Your mind goes into survival mode.”

His young kids reportedly can’t sleep at night, due to the loud noises from the house settling.

“My wife and I are at a stage in our life where we’re looking at this as the final home and where we want to be for the rest of our lives and don’t want to be forced to go anywhere else,” added Meyring.

According to ABC4 at the time the story was aired, the defendants had not filed a response to the lawsuit nor had they responded to requests for comment.